Serbia "not required" to give up territory

Oliver Ivanovic believes that the recent EP resolution on Serbia "does not require" that the country renounce its southern province. The recommendations concerning Kosovo and Metohija included in the European Parliament (EP) resolution "do not imply" that the European Union has such requirements, said the state secretary for Kosovo. Serbia "not required" to give up territory He said that "all open issues, including Kosovo's status, will be covered in the forthcoming Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on crucial and political matters". "The EP recommendations cannot be ignored and Serbia can improve its communication with EULEX, since this would serve the interests of all Kosovo residents, but priority will be given to the stands of the Serbian government and parliament, as well as the Constitution which says that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia," Ivanovic told Tanjug. According to the official, "the adoption of the amendment filed by the EP Green Group, which says that the forthcoming Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should not refer to the status issue, and certain other EP recommendations with regard to the southern Serbian province have come as no surprise, as 22 out of 27 EU member countries have recognized the Kosovo Albanian unilaterally declared independence and are likely to protect their stands by adopting such a decision." "We will examine the resolution carefully and we will stick to the government program and parliament decisions," Ivanovic underscored. In the resolution on Serbia which EP members adopted on Wednesday, the EP confirms that the country's future rests in the EU and at the same time points to the obligations Serbia needs to fulfil. The EP also called on the Serbian government to help improve cooperation between EULEX and Kosovo Serbs with the aim of establishing rule of law in northern Kosovo. “It is important for us to go toward the EU at a planned pace and that the status of Kosovo is not set as a condition. And everybody is looking forward to the negotiations. This way everybody defends their political position. I know that the EU will not object any solution we reach during the talks with Pristina. One of the priorities of the EU is stable and peaceful Balkans,” explained Ivanovic who thinks that the EU did not take Pristina’s side by adopting the amendment and that it took “its own side”. Meanwhile, Belgrade daily Politika’s unnamed source from the Serbian government was quoted as sying that the Greens’ amendment, calling upon Belgrade not to raise the question of Kosovo’s status, "could not affect the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina". “This is the amendment which is not a part of the binding resolution and in that sense it cannot affect the course of negotiations and it cannot be binding for Serbia in any way,” the source said. “Of course we will take what was said into consideration, but we will negotiate all open issues. We won’t, however, set any prerequisites or insist on terminology and expressions because it can bury the negotiating process. We are all fully aware of that,” the source explained. When asked whether this meant that Serbia would definitely raise the question of status, the daily’s source said that the issue “might be called differently” but that it would most certainly exist because the essence was something that could not be avoided. Commenting on the deletion of the word “partition” from the Greens’ amendment, the source said that it was not very important. He repeated that the European Parliament had earlier adopted a resolution which called for more recognitions of Kosovo. “It was also adopted by a majority and it did not have any consequences, meaning, it did not lead to new recognitions in the EU. Such resolutions are normal, because most MEPs come from the countries that have recognized Kosovo,” the daily’s source concluded.

Serbia "not required" to give up territory

He said that "all open issues, including Kosovo's status, will be covered in the forthcoming Belgrade-Priština dialogue on crucial and political matters".

"The EP recommendations cannot be ignored and Serbia can improve its communication with EULEX, since this would serve the interests of all Kosovo residents, but priority will be given to the stands of the Serbian government and parliament, as well as the Constitution which says that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia," Ivanović told Tanjug.

According to the official, "the adoption of the amendment filed by the EP Green Group, which says that the forthcoming Belgrade-Priština dialogue should not refer to the status issue, and certain other EP recommendations with regard to the southern Serbian province have come as no surprise, as 22 out of 27 EU member countries have recognized the Kosovo Albanian unilaterally declared independence and are likely to protect their stands by adopting such a decision."

"We will examine the resolution carefully and we will stick to the government program and parliament decisions," Ivanović underscored.

In the resolution on Serbia which EP members adopted on Wednesday, the EP confirms that the country's future rests in the EU and at the same time points to the obligations Serbia needs to fulfil. The EP also called on the Serbian government to help improve cooperation between EULEX and Kosovo Serbs with the aim of establishing rule of law in northern Kosovo.

“It is important for us to go toward the EU at a planned pace and that the status of Kosovo is not set as a condition. And everybody is looking forward to the negotiations. This way everybody defends their political position. I know that the EU will not object any solution we reach during the talks with Priština. One of the priorities of the EU is stable and peaceful Balkans,” explained Ivanović who thinks that the EU did not take Priština’s side by adopting the amendment and that it took “its own side”.

Meanwhile, Belgrade daily Politika’s unnamed source from the Serbian government was quoted as sying that the Greens’ amendment, calling upon Belgrade not to raise the question of Kosovo’s status, "could not affect the negotiations between Belgrade and Priština".

“This is the amendment which is not a part of the binding resolution and in that sense it cannot affect the course of negotiations and it cannot be binding for Serbia in any way,” the source said.

“Of course we will take what was said into consideration, but we will negotiate all open issues. We won’t, however, set any prerequisites or insist on terminology and expressions because it can bury the negotiating process. We are all fully aware of that,” the source explained.

When asked whether this meant that Serbia would definitely raise the question of status, the daily’s source said that the issue “might be called differently” but that it would most certainly exist because the essence was something that could not be avoided.

Commenting on the deletion of the word “partition” from the Greens’ amendment, the source said that it was not very important. He repeated that the European Parliament had earlier adopted a resolution which called for more recognitions of Kosovo.

“It was also adopted by a majority and it did not have any consequences, meaning, it did not lead to new recognitions in the EU. Such resolutions are normal, because most MEPs come from the countries that have recognized Kosovo,” the daily’s source concluded.